To live
by Mat Glue
Summary: AU- Dawn never thought that just going about life could be so complicated. Shiped off to her father's place in LA, her encounter with the Destroyer could only meen one thing: chaos. DawnConnor
1. On thy way

Summery: Dawn, sent to LA to her father's ends up with an old couple and in Buffy's old school (where she burnt down the gymnasium) where more trouble than expected stumbles in the way of peace and quite. Dawn/Connor  
  
Dawn had her arms crossed, a scowl on her fair face, sitting on her bed.   
  
"Dawn..." Buffy called out softly opening Dawn's bedroom door.  
  
Her little sister didn't answer and pretended to be more interested in the floor. Everything had gone horribly wrong.   
  
Buffy sighed and went to sit down next to Dawn, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "Please Dawn, I sorry it had to be this way..."  
  
"Oh! You're sorry," Dawn snapped back, jumping up from her bed. "Then why didn't you do something! I don't want to go Dad's in LA!"  
  
The Social Worker had come to the door this morning, so Buffy said. Dawn could imagine the exchange: "Dawn would be better with a stable financial position.... Bla bla bla...." Then it'd come the time for the small plump lady to open her small suitcase and take some papers out. "Dawn should... Dawn could... Dawn must..." Dawn gritted her teeth. Her father, she would be sent to her father's. And where had HE been most of HER life!   
  
"I don't want to go..." Dawn repeated helplessly.   
  
Buffy reached out, grabbed both of Dawn's hands in hers, and looked up into her little sister's face. "It doesn't really matter if you don't want to go. I really can't afford the house anymore. And Dad can get you anything you want. He adores spending money to show he loves someone."   
  
Dawn managed a weak smile then went back to scowling. "You're going to sell the house?"  
  
"I don't have the choice! Remember? I work in a fast food!" Buffy called out. "I don't know how Mum used to manage it..."  
  
An uncomfortable silence fell on the two sisters, thinking of Joyce was always painful, but comforting. Dawn would see her brilliant smile and shining eyes, and replay in her mind all the wonderful moments they'd shared. Baking cakes, going shopping, and when Joyce came to kiss her goodnight and tell a story. Dawn bit her lip, but most of those memories, weren't hers.   
  
She suddenly felt frustrated. "You don't want me!" she cried out. "I'm a burden, I've always been a burden on your shoulders!" She stepped back from Buffy hold and turned around, crossing her arms stubbornly. "Go ahead! Send me away!"  
  
"Dawn, you know it's not like that..."  
  
"If you really love me, you'd do anything to keep me!"  
  
Dawn knew she was being selfish and a capricious little snot, but she was hoping that if she screamed her head off, had an almighty tantrum, stamp her feet, Buffy would try and contact her social worker again, and maybe, just maybe, she would be able to stay. But she knew it wouldn't work out that way and dissolved into to tears in Buffy's arms.   
  
"Who's going to protect me?" she mumbled in Buffy's hair.   
  
"I'll give you Angel's number, if there's any trouble at all, suspicions, promise me you'll phone him," Buffy said and then waited for Dawn's response.  
  
Dawn muttered a shy yes.  
  
***  
  
  
  
And so things were settled for Dawn to move to LA. Hank Summers was in Tokyo at the moment with his "new" girlfriend, arrangements had been done over the phone, and it had been decided that she'd live with a host family until he returned, two weeks later.   
  
There were having a supper all together before Dawn would take the bus tomorrow morning. Willow and Giles were missing, the old Observer and the witch had left for England. He had assured Buffy that Willow would follow a special therapy over there, and he'd be visit Willow as much as possible.   
  
Xander and Anya tried to pretend they were cross against each other, not saying a word to each other. Buffy was talking about all the great places that Dawn should go in LA, but had been told not to go alone.   
  
Who Dawn really wanted to see before leaving was Spike, but he had left and to her knowledge hadn't returned yet, if he would ever return.  
  
She felt sad, she had really wanted to know Andrew better, and she be leaving her best friend behind.  
  
Thinking about friends came to the painful subject of wich scoll she would be going to. Dawn had groaned when she discovered she would be at Hemery, Buffy's old school. She'd have a superb reputation as The Sister Of The Mad Girl Who Burned Down The Gymnasium. She'd already complained to Buffy, but she'd said it was the closest school to "Farmer Summers House". The joke hadn't affected Dawn and it only made scowl more, getting the attention of the Ex Avenger Demon (that was now Demon again).   
  
"You really should stop glaring, sweetie," Anya had told her. "I have friend of mine, " -Xander looked at her way worriedly- "who doesn't have as deep wrinkles as you."  
  
She then took Dawn's hand and slipped something else but failed miserably to discreetly whisper in her ear to throw the contents on a boy if he annoyed her too much. This finally brought out a grin on Dawn's face. She usually disliked Anya, but she recognised that she could be very cool at times.   
  
Nearly everything was already packed upstairs in her room, and Buffy would then send more things to their father's house.  
  
Dawn looked at each occupant of the table: Xander and Anya, still trying to ignore each other, Buffy with her perpetual sad expression. Maybe moving on was a good thing.  
  
***  
  
The bus journey had been long and boring, she'd already listened to four CDs, and already looking threw her pack for another one when she saw from her window tall buildings at a distance, then it struck her, there were on a very large motorway. She put back her CDs in her bag and waited for the near end of the trip.   
  
It was still quite long; Los Angeles IS the biggest city in the United States, if it wasn't the largest in the world. They finally took a branch off the motorway and in to a bus stop.   
  
When she was out, she looked about to see if the elderly couple were about. Mr and Mrs Elderberry were meant to be in their seventies. Dawn wondered if they were an eccentric couple with pink pants or a Hawaiian shirt with a lot of lack of taste. Seeing they hadn't arrived yet (the bus had been a quarter of an hour early) she went to get her rather large bag and then waited. People were embracing each other, patting backs, and kisses on the cheeks...  
  
Dawn turned around and saw a couple walking towards the bus station. She tried to get a better look by shading her eyes from the sun. They seemed to be dressed in old fashioned clothes, from the thirties? They both had white hair (the elderly man having more or less the lack of it, the woman had hers in a bun covered by some kind of net.) They seemed to be arguing. The was holding a piece of cardboard, but it seemed he'd turned it the wrong way around for there was no name showing.   
  
The woman had brilliant red lipstick that seemed to been sloshed on. Dawn advanced towards them, deciding to not waist time.  
  
When she got near them they stopped arguing and looked down at her.  
  
"Yes, dear," the woman said with a smooth voice.   
  
"Excuse me, are you Mr and Mrs Elderberry?"  
  
"Ain't you sweet... Yes we are," she answered with a large smile showing all her yellow teeth.  
  
"I'm Dawn Summers..." Dawn said with a small voice, the woman must have put a lot of perfume and it was making her feel quite giddy.  
  
"Oh!!!!!" she exclaimed. "You're so cute. Please call me Elisabeth..."  
  
Before Dawn could say anything, she had her hand being shaken quite violently by "Elisabeth".   
  
"And this is..." she turned to her husband.  
  
"Mr Elderberry for you," he answered with a strict tone. He glared at her. Dawn felt uncomfortable.   
  
***  
  
First chapter. Yes, there is no Connor, yet, he comes in progressively, sorry, but it's to make the story nearly stand up straight! Why don't you REVIEW? Or get to the Next chapter (yoah! I've put up two chapters in a go!)  
  
Guess what's wrong with the Elderberrys  
  
by the way, thanks Claire Starling for alerting me of the symbol problem 


	2. worse for wear

**Worse for wear**

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Dawn woke up annoyed.

She'd hardly slept thanks to the lumpy mattress. She slowly massaged her right shoulder, trying to get the pin and needles out. The mirror across from her bed gave Dawn an idea of how she looked. She noticed the dark circles underneath her eyes. –Great –

She wanted to hit the mattress for taking her sleep away from her, and smash the mirror. But she refrained, fist clenched in frustration, and got out of bed to get ready.

The room in question looked a century old. Dawn hadn't had the chance to examine her surroundings the previous night. Mrs Elderberry had been very embarrassed for there hadn't been any light in Dawn's room. She promised that she'd find a lamp for her as soon as she could. Dawn had cared less and had gone to bed straight away – but hadn't found much rest in sleep.

There had been nightmares. She'd struggled all night in her sleep.

Half an hour later, Dawn looked down at her breakfast, a bowl of oatmeal, wondering if this wasn't worse than her nightmare. While Mrs Elderberry wasn't looking, Dawn took the initiative and got rid of her breakfast; with a smooth movement, she poured it out into the bin.

"Oh, good! You liked the oatmeal!" Mrs Elderberry had exclaimed when she'd returned, noticing that Dawn's bowl was now empty. "I've still got some on the stove. Would you like some more?" Dawn declined politely.

An hour later, Dawns stood in front of Hemery High school.

Hemery was a very big High school. She felt nauseous as she made her way through the thick crowd that had formed at the entrance, wondering if the spoonful of oatmeal she'd eaten had anything to do with it. She noticed that there were people glancing at her with strange and unreadable expressions. As soon as she would meet their eyes, they'd look away making Dawn wonder if she was becoming paranoid.

A couple of shoves later, Dawn finally managed to make her way into the corridors. Several times she tried to go up to some teens, wanting to ask where the Head's Secretary was, but somehow the pupils kept escaping her. She'd move towards them, the question on her lips, and they'd walk away as if they hadn't even seen her.

"Excuse me…" Dawn would start and the tall blond girl with her friend would conveniently turn the corner leaving Dawn stand on her own in disbelief. 'This is getting ridiculous," Dawn thought to herself.

Before she could ask anyone else, the bell rang and in a matter of seconds she found herself alone in the large and long corridor. She glanced from side to side wondering if there wasn't magic involved for everyone had rushed away with such a speed, leaving Dawn in complete silence except for her own footsteps which echoed down the now empty corridor as she continued her search for the Principal's office.

Dawn jumped out of her skin and a door slammed open just meters away from where she stood, coming face to face with a disgruntled looking teacher.

"What are you doing in the corridor?" the teacher bristled, spectacles on the edge of her nose, eyes staring at Dawn with something keen to madness.

"I –I" stuttered Dawn. "I'm new. I didn't find the secretary and …" To Dawn's relief, the teacher's expression softened.

"Of course. You must be Dawn Summers; this is your first day." The teacher stepped aside from the door, letting her pupils trickle out from the classroom in exited whispers. Again Dawn felt as if she was the subject of close and quite hostile scrutinizing.

"I'll take you down to the Secretary, I'm going there myself to report the scandalous behaviour of one of my pupils," she told Dawn, marching down the corridor from where Dawn had come.

It was a matter of seconds before both walked into the Headmaster's office. The secretary was missing, the teacher explained as they crossed the empty desk. A nock on the Principal's office and they were invited to step in.

The office was dark, and Dawn felt dizzy as soon as the door was closed behind her. The air was heavy and it had an indescribable smell which hit Dawn's senses with such vigour that she thought she'd topple over. She felt very grateful when the Principal mentioned her to sit down, but it didn't make her feel any better, if not worse. She was sure it had something to do with that dreadful oatmeal.

The Principal sat behind his desk, looking down at Dawn with hawk eyes.

"Principal Rane, I've come to report one of my students, Connor... He…"

"Yes, I'm already aware that the boy is missing and I've provided detention. I'll be calling up his father to speak about the possibility of expelling him." Not once did he look up at the teacher, staring attentively at Dawn who was feeling more and more uncomfortable under his piercing gaze.

"Oh, but Connor isn't such a bad boy," said the teacher. "He just lacks a bit of discipline-"

"Enough. I won't tolerate such antics."

The teacher flinched and the discussion seemed to be left at that. However she addressed a few last words to Dawn who felt thankful for the seconds of relief this gave her from the Principal's attention.

"I am your new Maths teacher, by the way," she informed Dawn. "Mrs Lewis. I expect to see you in class tomorrow." And then she was gone, leaving Dawn with the Principal.

He was an imposing man in his fifties with a sharp nose. His desk stood before him with neat piles of paper put to one side, his pens lined up in front of him, pencils sharp, ink pens with their caps firmly screwed on. If anything, his desk looked like Rane: incredibly tidy and, therefore, disconcerting.

"Miss Summers," he started, "I believe I've already had the pleasure of meeting your sister some years ago."

Warning bells went off in Dawn's head. If he knew Buffy, then he wouldn't be too kind on Dawn either. Things were looking quite bleak from where Dawn sat for she then felt incredibly alone, without friends, without her sister, without her mother.

"You were late this morning…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" But whatever Dawn had to say, the Principal didn't care for he promptly cut her off.

"I expect you to be on time, Miss Summers, or else I'm afraid I'll have to give you detention." He seemed to leave it at that. "Now, I have a list of books for you," he said in a clipped tone, handing the list in question to Dawn over the desk. "I advise you visit the school's library promptly. Timetables, and a map to the school grounds." These too he gave her. "And the school's rules which you'll copy down by hand for next Monday."

"Why?" the question escaped Dawn and wished to take it back straight away.

"It is in prevention of any mishaps; you'll know what the consequences are."

Dawn glared at him. So this was it, she was already considered like a wrong doer, some kind of criminal. She didn't even have time to prove herself that she was already put into the no-good teens category. It was unfair and wrong. She felt as if she'd just been cheated somehow without her say.

Seconds later Dawn was shooed out from the Principal's office.

She looked down at her papers and sighed in frustration. The day hadn't started out very well and unknown to her, the week would not be turning out any better.

¤¤¤

Dawn sat at the back of the class, paying little attention to the History teacher up front. It'd been some time now since she'd blocked out the monotone rumbling as the lesson went on, and instead had found a new and futile pastime: playing with her pen.

She had now figured out that the reason behind the worried glances she'd received all morning was because of her tarnished reputation as the sister of the famous Buffy Summers, pyromaniac and deranged girl who burnt down the gymnasium a couple of years ago. "Thanks Buffy," mumbled Dawn to herself. Not only Dawn was already considered senile ("Her sister was, no reason she shouldn't be either") but the students had also developed some kind of grudge against Buffy, which had been passed down to Dawn somehow. The fact was that rebuilding the gymnasium had cost a lot of money, which had ruined the realisation of another project: the construction of a collective room for the students themselves where a Tv and couches and maybe a snooker table would have been installed. They'd been deprived of that advantage, and all the blame that had once been put on Buffy was now redirected towards Dawn who hadn't had anything to do with it at all! She hadn't even existed back then, she'd reasoned to herself, she'd just been a green ball of energy. So unfair.

But she tried to be brave and not answer to the sniggers and the remarks. Even the teachers were eyeing her cautiously, probably making sure she wouldn't take a lighter out from her pocket and flick the flame and set fire to her desk.

When the lunch bell rang, Dawn made her way to the lunchroom feeling as if nothing would turn out right that day. She sat down next to some older girls, her food platter looking rather empty; she didn't feel hungry. She'd already chucked Mrs Elderberry's baked beans and had bought a sandwich instead and a bottle of mineral water.

As she ate, Dawn listened to the different conversations. Now that the girls from her table had left, she was able to hear what was being said at the table next door which happened to be occupied by some students from her own class. They were talking about Maths from that same morning, the class that Dawn had missed with Mrs Lewis. But what perked Dawn's interest was not the class in itself, but of the strange occurrence which had unfolded.

"Jumped right out of the window! First floor!" exclaimed a boy Dawn recognised as Martin something or other.

"He hasn't come back yet, has he?" a girl asked with blond pigtails. "He's going to be expelled for good this time. No way Rane will let it slide, no matter how influent his dad is meant to be."

"And he keeps missing class," another one added. "Rane was bound to expel him."

"What I'm wondering is how he just jumped out of the window! He should have broken his neck or something! It's impossible! No one can do that."

"Wish I could do the same sometimes," Martin continued to speak. "I mean, just walking out of class. Rane keeps everyone locked in as if it was a prison." There were a couple of nods of agreements.

"Hey, isn't that Buffy Summers' sister?"

This snapped Dawn out of her reverie, realising that she'd been noticed eavesdropping on their conversation. She tried to think about something to say, but she felt so embarrassed that she seized her tray and left without another word.

Dawn didn't know what had possessed her. She could have just said something like: "Yeah, that's me, I'm Dawn Summers." Or she could have confessed about listening to their conversation, because she was curious about what had happened that morning. Well, she could have said something, but she'd just ran off like a scared animal.

Minutes later in the empty bathroom, Dawn took a deep breath, watching her reflection in the mirror, wondering why she'd suddenly become so skittish.

She felt tired, she felt sad, she missed her family. She was now in unknown grounds, being looked down upon and she wasn't doing anything to remedy to her reputation by just running away!

All of a sudden, she wanted to cry as if the tears had a life of their own as they mounted pressure behind her eyes grew. But she quickly looked away from the mirror and walked out, trying to regain her strength and confidence as she went to her next class, French, which turned out more interesting than she'd thought.

Interesting not because of the teacher, or the lesson, but because of another strange event that interrupted class.

The teacher had been busy explaining the "deep inspiration" the XIXth century French writers had found in the war, accompanying her speech with large hand gestures which only served to give her the quality of a cartoon character, her right eyebrow lifting at the end of each sentence - when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes!" she called looking disapprovingly at the door, as if it were the door that was in fault of the interruption. In response, the door swung open and someone marched up to her purposely.

Well, Dawn guessed that it was someone, but he could have passed for a rubbish bag or some kind of mound of earth: he had the smell and the colour to do so. However, he was quite tall, what looked like bangs of filthy hair falling over his eyes in big chunks. He wore a brown T-shirt, ripped across his chest. Dawn had never seen anything like it.

When Dawn held the sides of her desk tight, it was not because of the scream that came from her teacher, but from the smell that reached her nostrils: it was stunning, literally that is. Dawn paled: there was incredible stench, making her feel dizzy.

There was mud, and there was a trail left on the floor where he stepped.

Mrs Crambridge opened her mouth a couple of times, before taking a step back when the boy tried to hand her a piece of paper (probably a letter to excuse his lateness, it was -only, Dawn noted with a sigh- quarter past two) . It looked like he had done an attempt to clean up to some extent; his arms weren't as dirty as the rest of his body.

"Finally decided to reappear after have left us on such a short notice this morning?" the teacher quipped, but voice did not have the edge she'd intended as she had difficulty breathing and speaking at the same time.

"Yes," he simply said.

"I can't except you in class," she told him, deeming it was understandable why she didn't want him (the bit of floor which Dawn could see from the back of the class had two patches of mud splashed on it).

"Ok."

The boy's arm fell back down to his side which could have expressed some kind of disappointment as his voice had given no indication of any feeling whatsoever. He slowly traced his steps back towards the door, but before he left, he skilfully flicked the paper he'd wanted to hand to the teacher onto her desk and then closed the door behind him.

When he'd gone, Mrs Crambridge had taken a handkerchief out from her pocket and had picked up the note, which she promptly chucked in her paper basket without reading.

"Now back to our french class... _Victor Hugo était_..." the teacher took up her speech once more, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Dawn sighted, the next 3 quarters of an hour of French still ahead. However, when the bell rang, she held back, letting the others leave before her. As she finally left the classroom, while the teacher still had her back turned towards Dawn, she fished the note out of the paper basket and rushed out so as to not be caught. A couple of moments later, she cautiously opened the note specked with mud and read the few words that had been scribbled untidily.

"I'm sorry for being late," it simply said.

¤¤¤¤¤

"Oh, hello darling," Elisabeth greeted when Dawn returned to the Elderbury's house. She was busy ironing.

"Hey," Dawn replied putting her school bag down with her knew books all stuffed inside.

"How was school, dear?" she asked, seeming to iron a pair of pants over and over again.

"Mmm, fine. Had a problem with finding the secretary, that's all."

"Ah..." she said concern filling her soft eyes. "Normal, first day." She folded the pants and took another pair. Dawn scowled, wondering if it was really necessary to iron pants but Dawn held back her tong, thinking that it would be impolite to ask about it while she was staying in their home. But it still looked silly. "There's bread and butter in the kitchen if you like, for tea," Mrs Elderberry told Dawn kindly. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I tried peanut butter, children usually like that..." she looked at Dawn expectantly as if asking if she'd done the right thing.

"Yeah! Thanks, it's great with jam too!" Dawn felt relieved; it was a change from the oatmeal food from breakfast, and she was feeling quite hungry (she hadn't finished her sandwich from midday.)

"Peanut butter and jam! Good gracious!" Mrs Elderberry's voice boomed with laughter as if Dawn had said something exceptionally funny, which then dissolved into a chuckle. "What children wouldn't invent these days!"

Dawn thought that Mrs Elderberry wasn't that bad after all. The woman seemed to have a warm personality, and the old lady's cheeks would turn red when pleased.

Dawn made her way for the Kitchen, discovering the toast, peanut butter and a knife already put out on the table. She plastered each peace of bread with more peanut butter than healthily recommended and gobbled each peace down greedily.

After have finished tea, Dawn decided to just go up to her room (pretending to forget her school bag downstairs). She really wanted to call Buffy, but it turned out that the phone was not working. "The line hasn't been working for sometime now. But we've assured me that it was being seen to," Mrs Elderberry had explained, to which Mr Elderberry had replied that it was the best thing that had ever happened. "Telephones, we hadn't needed them back in my days," he'd grumbled.

Dawn had thrown herself on her bed, feeling completely empty of emotion. Yes, her day had been horrible and boring, but really, it could have been worse, couldn't it?

It's those kind of questions which are jinxed and turn out bad.

After about fifteen minutes of deep thought on "how it could get worse," she got up with the intention of finding her dairy and write down the day's events, especially what happened in French. She looked under her bed but did not find it. Strange, she'd thought she'd hidden it there. But then she realised that the bed had been made whereas Dawn had left it in a mess that morning. Mrs Elderberry had probably found it. It was disconcerting. And when Dawn looked for her luggage, it had been put away as well. Maybe she put everything in the cupboard?

She opened one of the cupboards and gasped in surprise.

"What's this?" she asked herself taking a dress out. It was white with little blue flowers and a blue ribbon at the front. "Iuuuuu!" Dawn exclaimed making out the puff ups on the shoulder. Now that was certainly not in fashion anymore. It looked a century old.

She put it back; figuring out she'd opened the wrong cupboard. She was about to close it when something caught her eye. Dawn reached for the little green frame on a shelf and pulled it down from its perch.

It was a black and white photo of a girl, probably Dawn's age with long hair, wearing old fashioned clothes and a bow on the side of her head. She was smiling and clutching a teddy bear.

Dawn put the photo back where she'd found it and looked on the other shelves. A brown woolly foot was poking out from the last shelf. Tip toying on the end of her feet she tried to reach it, when the door to her room suddenly opened.

Dawn jumped back and found herself facing Mrs Elderberry who was fuming. She was glaring at her. Before Dawn could say anything, the old woman had snapped the cupboard shut which such force, that Dawn thought she would have time to move out of the way.

"You aren't allowed to look where you please," snapped Mrs Elderberry. "This isn't your house. And you're certainly not allowed to go sneaking in our personal spaces. It is not proper for a girl like you."

Dawn was flabbergasted. What had she done? She'd just been searching for her dairy.

She was about to tell her this when a red gleam shone in the elder's eyes. Just a flash, not even sure if was real Dawn stepped back in shock.

Her lips pursed, all merry warmth in her cheeks gone, Mrs Elderbury left the room.

"I have to phone Buffy," was what Dawn thought. "Quickly."

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Now, guess who was the guy who came all muddy in class!

Weird old couple? Nah...

Stay tuned in! Don't worry, more people to come and keep Dawn company. And I suppose that father of hers is never there when she needs him. Now, all you need to do now is REVIEW! And tell me what you think about it.

Now, still haven't REVIEWED? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REV...


	3. Simple aim for the mind

The next morning, Dawn wasn't feeling as comfortable around Elisabeth as before. She still had her cheery manner, but Dawn was still wary.   
  
Mrs Elderberry had asked Dawn if she wanted anything because she would go shopping that morning.   
  
"Cereals?" Dawn proposed, twirling her spoon around in the warm porridge which had been prepared for her. "Jam? And could you get some ham for my lunch sandwiches, please?" She'd looked warily at the soup the older woman had been preparing while Dawn had tried to eat her breakfast.   
  
"Certainly, dear," she replied with a smile. "Anything else?"  
  
"Mmm.... And hygienic pads." Sometimes Dawn wondered why the monks hadn't made her boy, life would be so much easier...  
  
"Of course."  
  
While waiting for the bus, Dawn planned out her day, she would start searching for a telephone box immediately. She had ten dollars in her pocket and she would do anything to be able to hear Buffy.   
  
Dawn caught the bus rather satisfied about the morning's start (at least she'd sorted out the porridge situation for crying out loud!). She was sitting down next to the window looking at the streets already busy as they passed by, when something rather unpleasant occurred at the next stop.   
  
Dawn looked up as the bus became suddenly silent. Walking down the isle was a tall girl, seeming rather large, garbed all in black. Many piercing ornamented her ears, her nose and lip, and a spiky necklace was tight around her neck. Her eyes shifted side to side as she approached the end of the bus, her lap dog (a snotty, acne skinny Goth boy) following behind her when she stopped at Dawn's seat.  
  
"Clear the place, Twinkie," she said menacingly addressing herself to Dawn.   
  
Dawn just looked up, mouth agape. Her mind yelled at her that 'this' wasn't happening. It was the only the second day at school and she was about to crawl out of the seat and give it to the Goth, or tell her something unpleasant and get probably mugged the next time she would cross her path.   
  
Dawn looked around, there was no other seat about. Biting her lip, she stood up and slowly retreated for the large Goth to sit down. She smirked at Dawn as the poor Slayer's sister was obliged to stand up the rest of the trip, most eyes turned toward her, and a couple of smirks for her attention.   
  
¤¤¤¤  
  
When Dawn finally got out, she was infuriated, people were going to call her a chicken. She should have yelled at the Goth, tell her to go and get f*****. But wasn't like herself to swear, she just wanted to phone, and things would get normal again; she would probably hang out with her friends, pass words in class, get back home, see Tara, maybe Buffy (she'd been pretty occupied lately) and go by the Magic Box. But no, Dawn is the Key, the Slayer's sister. Tara's dead and Dawn isn't in Sunnydale anymore.   
  
Dawn walked up to the entrance of Hemery, she knew it was a pretty dumb move if she wanted to skip school, but it lifted her spirits when she thought about all she would missing. Of course, the Elderberries would be called up to tell that Dawn wasn't present in school, but Buffy was much more important.  
  
Dawn quickly marched away, not glancing back once. If she had to do this, she had to do it properly. There was maybe a phone box in school, but she needed to give Buffy a clear and comprehensive message, not one covered by noise, quickly said because someone behind you wanted to call too.  
  
Dawn finally arrived to a petrol station where, to her delight, she saw a public telephone. She skipped urgently towards it and picked up the receiver to only find out miserably that there was no tonality. Dawn glared at it and wondered if she should knock it against the wall, but finally hung it back up.  
  
"Ok!" Dawn did a false cheer and decided to enter the petrol station's boutique.  
  
There was a couple of customers, looking grim (being eight in the morning). Dawn looked around but found no other phone, so she queued at the cash desk to ask the women there.   
  
Waiting there, she took a better look at the customers.   
  
A bony woman with high cheek bones seemed to be raiding the toilet paper. A grungy guy was rubbing his eyelids, buying a packet of cigarettes and coffee, not a healthy combination, Dawn thought to herself. Behind was a man in his forties with a bag of hot chilly peppers (the small ones and all dried out) and was actually taking a couple in one go and eating them.   
  
When Dawn arrived in front of the cashier, she asked her if it was possible to call someone here. She might have been foreign for she just shook her head, probably because she couldn't even understand.   
  
Dawn sighted, leaving the place without have contacted Buffy yet, and continued her way without really knowing where she was heading (it seemed like the houses went on for ever, the high and shinny business buildings seeming so far away). It was going to be a long day.   
  
¤¤¤  
  
Connor walked down the corridor, alert to any suspicious movement. He would suddenly tense up at the pop of a chewing-gum, the slam of a locker, or even a cry of joy. He would leave his head down, his eyes hidden by the bangs of hair from where he could watch without gaining too much attention, and would walk slumped, seeming relaxed, bluffing the potential attackers.  
  
It was a continuos search for dangers, the mind always awake.   
  
It was the second break of the day and Connor was heading for his locker, but found it already open, and empty. He grabbed the door and inspected it, there was a faint smell of eau de cologne and strawberry chewing-gum.   
  
Closing the locker carefully he went in search for the thief.   
  
The "black" man had told Connor that he was like a machine. Connor had frowned, machines, was he used by someone?   
  
"You walk aimlessly," Gunn had said. "Going about with the same thing in mind: revenge, kill the demons, find the threat. It's all ya do! Change the disc, man!"  
  
Connor hadn't understood the last bit, but Gunn had said he needed to change...  
  
Connor stopped in his tracks, he'd just found a fresh trail of the scent. He turned right.  
  
Change, "Go to school!" he'd said. "Those things can become deadly useful! I regret sometimes leaving..."  
  
"Deadly useful" was the only thing that Connor had heard, and had asked where he could find "School".  
  
School had turned out as a place swarming with humans, young humans. They could smell frightened, pleased, threatening all at once, it was quite disconcerting.   
  
For the first time that day, Connor looked up and directly looked at the person whose smell he'd been following.  
  
They were "footballers" and scared most of the school's population. They all wore black and green jackets with a hawk drawn on the back. They were taller and stronger than most, but this didn't bother Connor, he was faster and stronger, physically and mind wise. He dropped his head back down and walked towards the group of footballers like any other pupil. But just when he passed by, he pounced, throwing the guy with the eau the cologne smell against the lockers.   
  
The other footballers backed away just an instant, before they started flexing their muscles and circling around Connor like some scavengers.   
  
Connor recognised the guy that he'd pushed, Greg Masters, he'd been in his class, before Connor had been put in a lower level because of his lack of knowledge of the crazed world he was now living in.  
  
Before Greg could get his wits back, Connor seized his neck and lifted him up against the lockers.   
  
"Where are my things?" he asked coolly lifting his head towards his "prey".   
  
One of Greg's clique tried to punch Connor in the ribs, the boy managed to catch the approaching fist in his free hand and turned it violently, sending the attacker cringing on the floor, holding his now broken wrist in pain.   
  
A crowd started to form around the scene, the more daring cheering for the footballers  
  
Connor turned his attention back the guy he was holding up. He could have killed him, but the lousy human was just no challenge.   
  
"It was Cheryl Freud's idea," he croaked. "She has them."  
  
Connor let go of Greg who put his hand to his neck as he gasped for air.  
  
"Where is she?" he asked.  
  
The footballer pointed in the direction of a girl, his age, with carrot hair. She was actually watching them with a grin.   
  
Connor groaned, it wasn't the first time he had to deal with Cheryl. Knowing her, she'd dared Greg to steal Connor's stuff and had placed a bet somewhere in all the process, probably winning it in the end.   
  
He walked up to her and looked at her in the eyes. She didn't flinch, instead her smile only widened. Gunn had said it wasn't good hitting girls, Connor didn't know why. However, he had tried to refrain himself the three last times he had been in the presence of Cheryl, but weirdly, he didn't really want to hit her anymore.   
  
"Looking for this?" Cheryl asked, brown eyes sparkling, handing Connor his books.  
  
He took them without protest without taking his gaze off the girl.   
  
"There's about ten dollars in your Maths book," she said and started leaving. "Your share," she added.  
  
Connor knew it was stupid, but he caught her up.  
  
"What was the bet?" he asked. It was always this way, in some strange manner she would manage to make money out of something Connor would do.   
  
"That you would pick a fight before eleven o'clock," she announced still with a smug smile looking at her watch. Connor had never figured out how the clocks with hands worked, he only had an electronic one with red glowing numbers and the one on his beeper he had chucked not so long ago.  
  
Connor stopped and looked at her continue her way. The girl was smart and dangerous, and without the muscle part. Connor decided to be ever more careful.   
  
Neither of them saw Greg Masters glare dangerously at them. Footballers never like to be used as pawns out of field, and lose.  
  
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I have never, myself gone to La (I'm in France, but my parents and my sis used to live there). However I've seen pictures and the Angel tv-show (but they are kind of nearer to the centre of LA than where I'm placing Hemery, near the fairly nice individual houses (Hank Summers, I think is rather healthy, so he wouldn't have put Buffy in a not too bad school, close to the 'nice' euh... living area..)) So, I picture LA as this immense city with healthy families one side, the not too well healthy families another (these two being with a rather big mall), then there's the brick buildings (with smaller groceries and shops), then the inner city with a 'bad' part and the commercial (big shops, clothes and other...) business part. It's so hard to visualise, you know, I being in France, I suppose everything is a tid bit smaller (LA might be as big as one of our 'regions' with several 'departments' inside, and that my friend, to me, is BIG), then there is the tourist part, the beach, the skyscrapers...  
  
Well I shouldn't ramble on. Just REVIEW. And tell me about LA, when I have the money, I'll certainly be travelling.   
  
And don't worry, Evita22, I'll try to continue this! :p  
  
Ah, in you have any suggestions, or personal opinions about who Connor is actually (mind wise). Would he react as I wrote him? However, this is fanfiction, so I can always try turn things my way, if it is overdone, tell me. I could have put CHeryl into a boy, but I didn't want Connor be really able to hurt the guy.. 


	4. That weird day

A Special thanks to Claire Starling who made this chapter much more agreeable to read with her astonishing help! (You can tell I'm very thankful!)  
  
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Dawn slammed the door of the Elderberry's house and ran to her room without saying hello to the elderly couple. God, how this day had been weird.  
  
Dawn threw herself on the bed. It was too much to cope with. Her gaze fixed blankly the ceiling, wishing another portal could open into a dimension where trouble didn't exist, where everything was perfect, and where a bunch of guys with dusters didn't follow her.   
  
She reluctantly got up and looked out of her window and sighed in relief that there was no tall person with a grey duster in front of the house. It wasn't the exact creepiest thing that had happened to her that day, but it was nearly there.   
  
¤¤¤¤   
  
Earlier that day...  
  
Dawn looked behind herself. She still desperately wanted to call Buffy, but something else was nagging her now. The buildings were starting to get taller, the streets narrower, and she had no idea where she was. She would try to stick to the large streets, but just wanted so much to just get back to school, so ironic, she'd skipped class with more pleasure she would admit, but things were now getting creepier and creepier.   
  
The creepy thing in question was the person that was following her. She was sure of it. He was still behind her after a half an hour of walking. It couldn't be coincidence, Dawn had tried to make the most turns possible, and he was still there with the same glasses and grey duster.   
  
Dawn wiped her brow with the back of her hand. It was starting to get really hot, and because of the worry that the stalker had bestowed upon her, she had the cold sweats. Oh, how she hated it! The worst thing was the phone box, most of them were broken, with missing receivers or just gobbled the money without giving it back. Dawn had the impression her nerves were going to break.  
  
Maybe she ought to just phone Angel, he being the nearest potential protector. However, since the last time he had turned into Angelus, Dawn had never felt comfortable around him, being the first to be attacked when he had turned. She had never told her older sister, frightened it would break her heart even more. Angelus had been brutal, not the filthy sneaky subtle psycho, but brutal in a way that Dawn had to erase completely from her memory. It was something she never wanted to think about again.   
  
That now untouchable memory made her shiver. Again Dawn looked behind her shoulder, searching for the grey duster. He was still there. It was time to really lose him.   
  
Several small dark streets offered themselves, but Dawn passed them by. She'd looked at enough films to tell that dark streets weren't a good idea if you wanted to escape someone when you're a young woman that doesn't really have the means to defend herself.   
  
Dawn turned into a Jennifer clothes shop.   
  
The Jennifer shops have the reputation of been stuffed, literally, with clothes. Each row is done on purpose to be able to take out an item with difficulty, tangled in other clothes and then be impossible to put back on the rack because of the overflow of material. Dawn hadn't chosen the place for the cheap prices or the pink coloured sweaters that would have made a vampire squeal in horror, but for one of it's incredible virtues: getting lost.   
  
It must have been about eleven o'clock and there was a dozen of girls, giggling, wooing at the merchandise and chatting loudly.   
  
Dawn quickly made her way her way between the racks, lowering her head seeming interested in the clothes although she had actually spotted a nice blue tank top and thought of coming back. She slowly walked to the back of the shop, into the changing rooms, grabbing randomly on her a dark purple silky dress and a beret.   
  
Dawn poked her head out several times to see if he had followed her in, and, to her disappointment, he hadn't. She groaned in frustration when she glimpsed him just in front of the entrance of the shop. It was going to be harder than expected. She pulled back the curtain and decided what to do.   
  
Searching in her backpack, she took out her scissors from her pencil-case and started to take the magnetic tags off. Theses weren't any normal scissors; they were made of a slim metal with some kind of inscription of the side of the blades. When Anya had asked Dawn to give back her stolen items, the slayer's sister had "unconsciously" forgotten this particular item (very useful for stealing, actually). Did it make a liar and thief out of Dawn? Maybe. But these scissors could cut through plastic like butter, metal like cardboard. All guilty thoughts had been long forgotten. When she tried to find a better spot to hid the items, she tried the walls of her room. However, they were a bit too thick and she had to put a poster up on top of where she'd tried to cut to hide the damage.   
  
With a precise movement, she cut the tags off and tried the dress on top of her jeans.* Dawn looked at herself in the mirror, rather satisfied. The dress fell outwards just above her knees. Taking the tag of the beige beret, she put it on and stuffed her hair inside. Taking another look in the mirror, she looked nearly completely different than earlier. Getting out of the changing rooms, she decided it had to do, and tried to get out without getting too much attention from the personnel. She made it out with ease and turned right straight away, glancing at the man that had been following her.   
  
He was in his twenties, bold, his eyelids looked heavy and had a very square jaw.   
  
Turning back ahead, Dawn quickly walked off, using her small mirror to look behind herself and saw with glee that he hadn't moved from the spot.   
  
"Well," she thought to herself, "that wasn't that bad."   
  
She had a new dress and hat, and was now thinking of herself as a young version of a young secret agent. The feeling was great, and she skipped along the pavement. Now, she only needed to find another phone box.   
  
¤¤¤  
  
Falling back on her bed, Dawn groaned. She had, in fact found a whole new set of telephone boxes. And had finally managed to dial the number and hear the other end ring. But no one ever picked up.   
  
Very depressed, Dawn had roamed the streets.  
  
¤¤¤  
  
That same day, around midday...   
  
It was lunch break and he used this time to calm his nerves.   
  
Connor marched in the opposite direction of the cafeteria and into the playground, surrounded by a high wall. All the trees were far from the big white barrier, stopping any rogue student from being able to get out. But Connor knew another way. He looked around, making sure there were no "sentinels" that would catch him. Security was very tight in the school, making it nearly impossible to get out before the end of the day.   
  
Connor started warming up his shoulders by lifting his arms above his head, stretching, then jogged a little before deeming himself ready.   
  
He suddenly sprinted towards the wall with all his might and jumped, the muscles of his legs pulling at the sudden movement... And caught the top of the wall, still dangling in the inside, he lifted himself up to drop on the other side, cat like on his feet, legs flexed, his hands braced before him and then slowly stood up.  
  
Now he could go find a demon and kill it. He jogged off, his mind set and lifting his spirits.   
  
¤¤¤  
  
At the same moment...  
  
Dawn had thought that all the demons were usually in Sunnydale, but they might have migrated because of Buffy's move. Why couldn't they have gone to Las Vegas, and not Los Angeles? Perhaps they had been here before? Maybe it was because Los Angeles was better, with bimbos on the beaches and young girl in the street like herself. After all, they were like happy meals with legs, an easy catch.   
  
Dawn swung her arm towards the orange head demon, inappropriate thoughts about the causes and consequences of demon migration racing threw her head.   
  
The demon hissed, it's putrid breath made Dawn cringe. The guy had a rooster's crest on his head and a strange hole for mouth.   
  
Dawn took the metallic top of dustbin and threw it like a Frisbee so it collided with the midsection of the demon. He caught it just in time before impact and crumpled it like paper. He threw it aside before approaching Dawn again.   
  
The Slayer's sister roamed in her backpack, searching for her miracle scissors.   
  
¤  
  
Connor sniffed the air, sure thing, there was a demon about. He calmly followed the smell. However, something was wrong: warning bells went off in his head.   
  
He stopped just before a corner that went into a dark street. He heard trash cans being knocked over, and the unmistakable sound of punches. But he stood there for some odd reason. Usually he was glad to run into a fight, where all his troubles would be momentarily forgotten, where all his rage could be taken out on a demon. However, he didn't move. For some strange feeling, it felt as though he was forbidden to destroy the creature that was making all that racket. Demons had to be killed. The sentence flashed in his mind as he turned the corner.  
  
His first impulse to lunge at the demon after a quick inspection of it's body. This one was rather unusual. Once his knife was removed from his pocket, he jumped on the demon and slit it's throat. The demon pulled him off, not seeming to be effected by the gooey red stuff oozing from his throat.   
  
Connor glanced about and found who the demon was attacking.   
  
It nearly put him off guard at the sight of the girl with a dagger clutched in her hand. But his attention was soon returned to the demon that lunged at him. At the last moment, it's path turned to that of the girl. With a mighty swing, he hit the girl in the face. She flew back and hit her head on the ground. Her face scrunched in pain. Infuriated, Connor pounced on the demon and drop kicked it to the floor before stabbing it to death.   
  
¤  
  
The punch had come out of no where, and Dawn felt the pain surge through her skull as she flew to the ground. Just before she fell into unconsciousness, she got the impression that someone else was there/ She prayed that it wasn't another demon that would finish her off. With that final thought, she passed out.  
  
  
  
¤   
  
Connor ran to the girl after the fight. He noticed her unconscious state but could tell she was quickly returning back. As she woke, she groaned and clutched her head, shaking away the pain. She opened her eyes and growled in frustration.  
  
"That was a nasty blow I wasn't expecting," she said to no one in particular. However, she soon noticed the boy standing by her.   
  
"Give me a hand, will ya?" she told Connor, thrusting her hand towards him.   
  
Connor took it and helped her up, watching her curiously. Her lips were red like blood, her eyes black as coal.   
  
"You picked a good fight," she complemented him as she gave Connor a lopsided grin.  
  
Connor wasn't sure what she was saying, but he just nodded. Something was wrong about her, she smelt different from the other girls. However he couldn't stop staring her well-formed body and heaving breasts. The leather she was wearing did little to conceal these traits.  
  
"Let me introduce myself, I'm Faith."   
  
Connor noticed that the woman had a deep brouge, so she had to be from the East Coast.  
  
"Connor," he said quietly, not sure what to make out of the situation.   
  
Faith bit her lower lip, showing he white teeth and tilted her head.  
  
"How must I thank my Knight in shinning armour?" she asked.   
  
Connor, again, didn't get the meaning and frowned.   
  
When Faith pushed him violently against the wall, he was surprise when felt her lips against his. He opened his mouth to protest to only find the kiss deepened.   
  
Something inside him broke and he kissed her back savagely.   
  
Faith finally pulled back, grinning at him, her hands still against his chest.  
  
"Till next time, sweetheart," she said before blowing him a kiss and disappearing at the end of the street as she ran off.   
  
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Dawn woke up some time later, completely disoriented to find herself... on the front lawn of the Elderberry's house. Dawn frowned in confusion. Where had the orange demon gone? Was she dead? Injured. Dawn checked out for pain but it was gone, there was nothing there, only a slight headache. She pulled herself up and found her bag next to her. She picked it up and looked about again. There was no one. And then, she was sure she'd seen it, a bit of grey cloth behind the hedge.   
  
She took a careful step backwards before inside the house.   
  
¤¤¤  
  
Back to the Present...   
  
Dawn was still lying on her bed.   
  
"Dawn? Are you up there? It's suppertime!" rang out the cheery voice of Elisabeth Elderberry as she called up the stairs.  
  
Dawn looked at her bedside clock. It was seven o'clock. Last time she'd checked it'd been about midday. Where had she spent her whole afternoon before she ended up on the lawn. She had expected to get lost. She had thought about running away until she noticed her stalker.  
  
Dawn got up and walked downstairs deciding that things were definitively weird.   
  
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Did you really think that Dawn and Connor were going to meet? He would save her in a prince charming way and say, I love you, and then hang around in school everyday? I don't thinks so! But I promise Dawn will get his attention next time (well, I think so). About Faith: I'm aware that some wish for a Faith/Connor relationship because these characters have been in the same situations but personally, I think they'd probably end up killing each other. You're welcome to give your opinion on the matter by reviewing, if you so wish. To tell you the truth, the warning bells, well, if he hadn't turned that corner, he would have probably found Dawn a couple of streets later. He was right- it was wrong turn. Sigh...  
  
* In France, it is fashionable to wear a dress over jeans, like a tunic. 


	5. That light I followed in school

"I don't want to go to school!" Dawn whined.  
  
"Sweetie, school is important..."  
  
Dawn refused point black about going to school the next day and anything Elisabeth would tell her wouldn't change her mind. She would get detention for have skipped class the day before, she was already lucky they hadn't phone the Elderberrys, for the simple reason they just "simply" didn't have a phone. On top of all that, she'd hadn't done any homework for two days, she would get killed by the teachers.  
  
Dawn clutched the covers tight above her, not wanting to peek out from under them.  
  
"Dawn, did something happen yesterday of which you would like to talk?" Elisabeth asked.  
  
The something was a bit tooooooo big for Elisabeth to believe. The older woman would have looked at Dawn oddly if she told her that she'd been attacked by an orange demon, lost consciousness and woke up, about six to seven hours later somewhere else.  
  
"No! Go away!" Dawn's muffled cry came out from under the covers.  
  
"Is it because of a boy?" she asked curiously.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Have the children been picking on you?"  
  
Dawn sat up and pulled the covers off her head. "If you count the teachers, the principal, actually the whole school!" she yelled in frustration. However, Dawn shrieked as the covers were snatched out her grip by Elisabeth and off the bed.  
  
"Hey!" Dawn yelled.  
  
"If you don't go back to school, they'll think you're a coward of some sort. There's much more worse than School you know," Elisabeth explained with a seriousness that made Dawn feel bad. She knew that the elder woman was right, Dawn herself had faced much worse, and now she was dreading a simple day of school. She supposed it couldn't get worse than the previous day.  
  
Dawn sighted in defeat and got up.  
  
"That's a good girl, you mustn't show your weaknesses to any of them."  
  
¤¤¤  
  
On the bus to school again, Dawn thought that Elisabeth couldn't be that bad. What ever she'd seen two nights ago in her eyes must have been a trick of the light, because she really was too nice, like Tara.  
  
Dawn tried to relax and not think about the day to come, the detention, the side glancing, the whispering in her back, the teachers yelling...  
  
"I said I wouldn't think about it!" she told herself.  
  
Just like the previous day had started, the Goth Girl entered the bus at the next stop. Dawn hoped things wouldn't repeat themselves. Her prayer seemed to be ignored as the Goth stopped, again, next to Dawn's seat and looked at the Slayer's sister with an annoying smirk.  
  
"Move," she simply said.  
  
Dawn groaned and left her the seat. Her not being a coward, great move angelcake!  
  
¤¤¤  
  
The day went as planned: Dawn got her detention for the same day, she was ignored by the school's population, she got yelled at several times by a couple of teachers. However, Dawn discovered she had fried chicken for lunch, which was not all that unpleasant. Being not many places in the cafeteria, Dawn just sat anywhere not bothering to try to be near the girls of her class this time. The anywhere was actually in front of the guy that had arrived in French class full of muck.  
  
"Hey," Dawn greeted with a forced cheery smile.  
  
His bangs of hair were in front of his eyes, but she got to see their grey colour when he so lightly looked up before concentrating back on his food.  
  
¤  
  
Connor had arrived at Hemery at eleven and was straight away pushed in the principal's office. He got a lecture about skipping school two days without any excuse. But what Rane really wanted to know was how Connor had escaped the place without going threw the front door or faking sickness.  
  
Connor had said nothing and got a couple of hours of detention, which he decided he wouldn't go to. Really, he didn't need to waste his time doing lines or sitting in a confined place not doing anything. He was here to learn some knowledge of this world, which would maybe keep him alive, and not become the principal's sophomore.  
  
However, right now, as he sat down to eat, he regretted about not coming back yesterday afternoon, the Principal and his "sentinels" were keeping a very tight eye on him. He actually forgot he had to go back to school the previous day. He'd roamed the streets of LA, thinking about what had happened with the "girl" Faith. It intrigued him more then anything else and only made him wish to see her again.  
  
While he sitting down at a table in the cafeteria, he felt a strange presence approaching from behind. He fought the urge to turn around to look and in the process lose his cover. To his surprise, it sat just in front of him, but he hid it well, seeming untouched by it.  
  
A small "Hey" came from the girl that had taken up the seat, forcing him to look up. It hadn't even been a second, but her image was printed in his mind. Rosy cheeks, big blue eyes, pink lips; his heart lurched forward.  
  
Without lifting his head, he watched her open a brown paper bag and take out a plastic container, a fork, knife and a small bottle of water.  
  
She smiled lightly when she opened the plastic container, and without realising, his own lips curved upwards in a small smile. He'd forgotten completely about his own food, and just watched her take a bit of chicken on her folk and daintily put it in her mouth.  
  
Her brilliant blue eyes would look around before going back to her chicken.  
  
Connor nearly jumped out of his seat when a hand came down and gripped his shoulder, taking him 'completely' by surprise this time. However, the person's odour told him straight away who it was. Connor growled silently.  
  
"Connor!" Cheryl said in her shrill voice and pushed the small boy that had been sitting next to the Destroyer away to take his seat. "I can get you some money," she then told him more softly.  
  
"I don't like when you do bets on me," Connor told her truthfully.  
  
"Don't be broody, come on! I can get it real big this time," she whined. "I know you're in need of money..." she added.  
  
Dawn tried to not stare, but well, she was rather a curious girl, and feigned listening to them.  
  
"What is it this time?" Connor finally asked, sighing.  
  
"There's this great big party, Friday night. You get to do a couple of acrobatic things and I'll pay you hundred dollars..."  
  
Connor glanced at the girl in front of him, she was looking at them, and wasn't hiding it very well. Cheryl realised it too and did the first step to talk to her.  
  
"Ya want to go to a party, Friday night?" she asked her.  
  
"I..." the girl smelt unsure. "I don't know, I might be doing something that night, I... Yeah." Down finally said.  
  
"That's a shame," Cheryl pouted.  
  
"I mean 'yeah', I'd like to go," Dawn quickly added realising that she'd been babbling just seconds ago and had confused the older girl.  
  
"Cheryl," Cheryl presented herself, giving her hand to shake at Dawn.  
  
"Dawn," the Slayer's sister mumbled taking her hand. Cheryl took it in a tight grip and shook it hard, making Dawn wobble on her chair.  
  
Cheryl then turned to the Destroyer, hitting him in the side of the arm. "This airhead is Connor."  
  
"Airhead?" Connor asked, confused about the term. He had the slight impression it hadn't been used to praise him and it annoyed him as the girl, Dawn, chuckled slightly.  
  
"Well, Dawn," Cheryl said getting up, "I'll tell you where the thing will be happening when I'll have managed to convince someone dumb enough to set it up... Connor, we meet after end of class, 'kay?"  
  
Connor nodded. "I'll be skipping detention anyway."  
  
Cheryl grinned as she turned around, her hair swinging as she skipped to the next table to chat.  
  
Connor had had enough of the place and left while Dawn thanked her luck that she'd actually met someone that didn't mind her being the little sister of the girl that burnt down the gymnasium.  
  
¤¤¤  
  
Connor had found no way to get out at the lunch time break.  
  
As he walked down to his locker, he felt the eyes of one of the "Sentinels" on his back. It would be a bit difficult getting out before his detention, but he knew he would finally manage one way or another to get a moment's peace and escape the place.  
  
With this in mind, he made his way to class as the bell rang. It was Math and Connor inwardly cringed. He'd had had a beeper on himself in case if Angel or Gunn came up with a big fight in which they needed help from the Destroyer. The beeper had rung in class, giving message to Connor they needed him urgently. He'd given such a shock to Miss Drain when he'd jumped out of the window in a rush, from the second floor. That day had turned out pretty bad: he'd come back to school filthy with the exploded insides of a Graru Demon, all over and had to explain himself still light headed by the monster's poisoning stench, damping all his senses. He felt sorry for have frightened Miss Drain so much (she'd taken the rest of the day off because of nervous headaches, he'd heard). The woman was rather kind hearted and sometimes reminded Connor of Fred, always a bit sensitive.  
  
When he entered the class, Miss Drain watched him sit down at the back of the class, her brows furrowed. Connor acted like he hadn't notice.  
  
Then he felt it, the strange presence from midday. It glowed like a warning beckon, he couldn't have missed it and was rather uncomfortable when it entered the classroom.  
  
¤  
  
Dawn sat at the end of the class in the corner without window, and looked at the class.  
  
There was the group of cheerleaders on the right, the footballers on their left. The girls would giggle and pass notes between themselves, and occasionally to the guys. Their hair was perfectly drawn back in a ponytail, they would so often take out a small mirror and put back some lipstick, or eye shadow.  
  
Then, at the front were the teacher's pets, hanging to each word the adults would speak, all their pencils sharp, all their books looking as new.  
  
Then at the far back were those who didn't pay a lot of attention to course, spent their time drawing and dreaming, or doing to minimum work possible. And just in front of these were those who followed the lesson the minimum required to get a B level.  
  
Dawn was at the far back, how did she change her hierarchy to become one of the "not do so well". As far as she remembered she'd been better than Buffy in all her grades, but now she'd sunken so low as to not listen at all.  
  
She'd prove them it wasn't by taking Dawn away from Buffy that they'd give her better grades. So Dawn lazed around, thinking about Buffy. If she couldn't telephone her, she might as well write to her.  
  
Meanwhile, Dawn was completely obvious of Connor, who was scrutinising each of her movements.  
  
When he blinked to get the moist back into to his eyes because he'd been watching her for so long, there was patch of light in the brief moment of darkness his eyes offered him, like if he'd glanced at the sun. It was all together strange, giving him a warm feeling. From what he'd observed of her, smelt and felt, she was anything but human giving him the conclusion that he had to be on his guard at all moments around her.  
  
When the bell rang, he followed her in the corridors towards the west building, forgetting his plans of escape and meeting with Cheryl as he entered the detention class and sat down, resting his head on his backpack he'd put on his desk. And then, to his own surprise, closed his eyes and just felt for Dawn, the warm feeling and light breeze enveloping him. He hadn't felt more at rest than any other moment of his life.  
  
¤¤¤¤¤  
  
Woah!! They know each other's names!!! Ain't that cool!!! Fifth chapter and they know their names! Well, was it that bad? Connor had decided he wouldn't go to detention all day and finally ends up there. Oh, and they're got a party coming up! And Connor is starting to leave his guard down, getting all surprised and all. Is it a good thing? You'll find out soon enough. 


	6. A night's demons

A night's demons  
  
With a deep sigh, she ripped the envelope open and took a peek inside. There was a letter, and a couple of notes of money. How typical Dawn thought as she took the letter out and tried to read the very thin and in italic writing.  
  
She gritted her teeth, the Summers's senior was glad to make his daughter meet his fiancée, a Chinese commercial student. The bank notes were meant to be pocket money ("I know young girls like you like to go and buy stuff" he'd written."). He would be back this weekend and "couldn't" wait to see his favourite daughter. Dawn huffed at this, he hadn't even turned up to Joyce's funeral, just a small call on the answering machine.  
  
She crumpled it up and threw it angrily across the room. "How dare he!" Dawn told herself, then looked at the money and thought about trying to get the most out of him. She tucked the notes back in the envelope, put it on her night table and finally tried to go to sleep.  
  
That night, her nightmare was about a Chinese bimbo, fanning her face with money. But the worst was the one with her mother, it'd been like living her death again.  
  
To her relief, something woke her up from that one, a soft melody pulling her out of sleep. Blinking in confusion, Dawn realised she'd been crying in her sleep, and didn't bother drying her wet cheeks as she looked about, trying to identify where the noise was coming from. She got out of bed and slowly walked to the cupboard she wasn't allowed to open, and put her ear to it.  
  
From inside, she could hear the faint melody of a lullaby tinting away, bringing more tears to her eyes. She so wanted her mother to burst threw the door and take her in her comforting arms and say nice things to make her go to sleep. But Joyce would never wake up again, the thought made her sob harder.  
  
¤¤¤  
  
Connor roamed the streets that night, searching for demon prey. He walked unheard and unseen in the shadows the night gave. He avoided the light point the street lamps would cast upon the labyrinth that LA was. In his hand, he held an axe, he wouldn't be facing any petty prey tonight. Gunn had left a message where Connor stayed, telling the destroyer to join him at the usual place at midnight.  
  
Connor decided to change tactic. Lifting a sewer lid, he slipped in the underground, replacing it after have passed threw it. Maybe he would get to warm up before he met Gunn, Angel's associate.  
  
He cringed at that thought as he made his way in the darkness. Angel. How he despised his father, that demon, that 'soul'. For it was for that 'Soul' Connor had willed himself to kill him. If something had a soul, it couldn't be that bad. Yes, Angel did save lives... "But the demon," he told himself, "but the soul"... again that foul soul.  
  
He slowed down his footsteps, even in the pestilence of the sewers Connor could smell a demon, it smelled far worse than any human dirt. He came to a halt, listening to the dark. He heard the splatter of footsteps who were approaching and the light click of a pair of claws once in a while on the dry concrete of the sewer ground, coming from around the corner.  
  
Before the demon came into view Connor leaped out of his dark corner and swung his axe at the demon who escaped it just in time, dropping on all fours on the floor.  
  
The Destroyer was about to behead it, the demon showing no defensive jest, when a low whiny plea came from it.  
  
Connor lowered his axe, confused. A demon was asking his grace, he would have just killed it by pity, but the thing was moaning helplessly on the ground, e en if Connor hadn't done anything yet.  
  
"Please, let me live, please, my lord..." it whined.  
  
Connor took a step back, taking precautions if the thing finally decided to attack.  
  
"I'll do anything..."  
  
Having this creature, there, sprawled on the floor, ready to do anything to keep its miserable life was, to Connor's horror, appealing.  
  
"I'll serve you for all eternity..."  
  
With his senses, Connor figured out it was a frail demon, of not great height, and probably not very dangerous. And to his disbelief, Connor asked: "How can I be sure you'll obey me?"  
  
"Let me prove to you! Let me prove to you!" it cried out, and to his dismay, Connor heard the sickening crack of a bone and a scream of pain coming from the small demon.  
  
"I'll do anything... anything!"  
  
Connor took another step back and ran away, leaving the thing in the dark tunnels, it's arm ripped out.  
  
¤  
  
Connor was now out of the sewers, sweat upon his brow. He felt feverish, and not because of the run. He tried to forget that noise, the scream, the words...  
  
He shook his head, and continued his way, his pulse slowling down to a normal rate. He cursed his bad luck, he was feeling shaky, which would only cause to attract unwanted eyes from demon folk; and make his odour easier to follow.  
  
He had to sit for a while to get his wits about him again, trying to calm down, trying to think about something else.  
  
The girl then. Or more lightly, the girls. The 'Faith' was one matter, intriguing, seeming dangerous and exiting. And the 'Dawn' one, was still as intriguing, but worried him more than anything else. He had walked right into detention, just to 'feel' her. She was maybe not even a girl, a demon, or something else... He had never crossed anything that made him react that way. Maybe she'd cast a spell on him or...  
  
"You're late again, mate!" Gunn said walking up to the sitting Connor, then frowned when he got a better look at the destroyer. The boy was sitting, his head low, completely tuned out from the rest of the world.  
  
Connor slowly looked up and realised he had sat down in a patch of light. What was wrong with him? Gunn frowned; the boy's eyes were teary red.  
  
"Something wrong?" Gunn asked suspiciously.  
  
"I'm fine," Connor croaked.  
  
"Tell me what's the matter," Gunn said sitting down next to the boy. "You don't look too well, you know, catching a cold?"  
  
"A cold?" Connor asked, not understanding.  
  
"When you're poorly, when you don't feel too well, head ache, stomach ache, feeling sick, those kind of stuff."  
  
"No!" Connor replied, feeling irritated. "I'm not weak!"  
  
"Sure not, but I don't think I should give you a demon to kill tonight, I think you should get some rest..."  
  
Before Gunn could finish, he was on his back upon the ground. Connor was holding him firmly down using the handgrip of his axe to choke him.  
  
"Just give me it," Connor demanded.  
  
Gunn tentatively took out a folded paper from his pocket and lifted it to give to Connor. The Destroyer opened it. A picture of a nasty looking demon was drawn on it. He memorised the forms and shape of it: it had blunt horns either side of its head, and a tail with a sharp sting at the end.  
  
"It's a Crescent Scorpio, some good mix of demon blood. You just need to shop off his tail, we could have done it, but our hands are full theses days. Loads of demons our coming into town..."  
  
Connor pulled himself off the man and crumpled the paper. "Any reason why?" he asked.  
  
"Someone or something most be drawing them, Angel thinks he might know what."  
  
Connor hissed at the vampire's name. "Where?" he asked.  
  
Gunn got up, brushing some dirt off his clothes. "You need to control your anger, mate!" he protested. "Where does all the frustration come from?"  
  
Connor crossed his arms and tried to be patient. Gunn now had to drive the Destroyer to the demon's residence.  
  
¤  
  
Connor looked out of Gunn's truck as they sped down the street. There were always people out, even at night. Gunn had explained that some had no where else to go and had to stay out in the streets, for others, it was because of their job.  
  
"They are easy prey," Connor had said.  
  
"Yes, and it's our job to protect them," Gunn had answered.  
  
Even Connor had somewhere to stay at night. It wasn't luxurious, but he didn't need much. It was in an abandoned factory, he had quickly cleaned it of a small group of young vampires, and had set traps a bit everywhere, to capture, or just warn Connor that someone was about. He had refused point black to stay at Angel's investigations offices, not feeling comfortable with demons roaming around when he wasn't aloud to kill them.  
  
Gunn suddenly stopped the car, pulling over onto the pavement.  
  
"'Kay, spill the beans, tell me what's up," Gunn asked, turning in his seat to look at Connor.  
  
"I think there's a demon at school, under disguise as a girl," Connor said slowly, still looking out of the window.  
  
"That's serious stuff! How'd you know?"  
  
"I feel that she isn't really human," Connor said, finally turning around to look at Gunn. 'There's a light around her... And she managed to get my guard down, I even had the impression she was controlling my mind... And she manages to draw my attention like... she just isn't the same as the others..." he confessed half heartily.  
  
"She's pretty?" Gunn asked with a smirk.  
  
Connor didn't understand why it would be important. "I think so..."  
  
"You have a crush, my friend," Gunn said giving a playful punch in the Destroyer's shoulder.  
  
"How do you kill a Crush?"  
  
He chuckled. "It's not a demon! It means you fancy her!"  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Dawn."  
  
"What you do, is try to speak to her, know her better, and maybe you'll feel better. Boy, when I tell Angel..." Gunn glanced at the boy, not sure if what he's just said please him. He had guessed correctly, Connor had a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Well, I guess I can keep it to myself."  
  
Connor looked back out on the street. "Which one?" he asked.  
  
"That one," Gunn said pointing to a shabby looking apartment with a balcony, on the second floor.  
  
Without another word, Connor got out, his axe ready in hand, slamming the truck's door after him.  
  
Gunn rolled down the window to speak to him; "Be careful, and don't think to much about the girl when you fight."  
  
Connor didn't look back as he walked towards the building. Maybe a good fight would get all these useless and distracting thoughts out of his head.  
  
Gunn shook his head, thinking about his own rendezvous with a slimy monster as he drove back onto the road.  
  
Connor reached up to the first floor's balcony ladder and pulled it down. He cringed as it lowed it's self with a horrible screech and decided the demon must have noticed 'something'. As expected, something came snorting out of the second floor apartment and looked down on the street, more precisely, on Connor.  
  
The Destroyer looked up into red burning eyes, gripping his axe more tightly, waiting for the demon to make it's move. It jumped off heading directly for Connor.  
  
Right on queue, Connor leapt back just in time to avoid being crushed, the pavement cracked under the demon's jump. The lizard horn thing brought his tail between them in an offensive manner, straightening up to it's full height its long legs stretching. Connor watched the demon trying to impress him, just like an animal, trying to scare the boy away.  
  
Unfortunately for the demon, Connor was not a mere boy, and it was soon going to learn its mistake.  
  
With a guttural cry, Connor launched himself towards the demon, his axe raised.  
  
The tail shot out, trying to stab, Connor escaped, twisting his body away, the blow passing merely inches of his left side. The tail tried to coil around him. A couple of lashes from Connor's axe dissuaded it quickly, the snake like thing retreating near the demon's body, wounded.  
  
Connor tempted another swing of his weapon, but the demon's next move took him by surprise. The creature tilted his body backwards, stabilising itself with its arms and thrust it's hooves out into Connor. Something rather 'unordinary' for a demon.  
  
The boy went sailing backwards and painfully crashed to the ground, skidding on a couple of more meters.  
  
Connor groaned, his back was on fire, scrapped  
  
The tail was raised again, the sharp end trembling with anticipation to make it's kill.  
  
Connor was in a bad mood now.  
  
¤¤¤  
  
The music slowly faded away to be replaced by the night's silence. Dawn was soundly asleep against one of the cupboard's doors, the side of her head resting against the wooden surface. Her tears had finally stopped falling and were now dry upon her cheeks. Everything seemed still, no rustling of the curtains, no tic toc of the clock: it seemed like the whole room had fallen asleep.  
  
The other door of the cupboard was cautiously pushed open from the inside, just a crack, a black shinny eye peeping out of the confines, watching Dawn attentively. The door was then slowly pulled back, the room regaining it's stillness.  
  
***  
  
I've finally updated!!!! Yeah Girl!!!! *Doing some sort of happy jig.  
  
Well, there is a monster in the cupboard here!!! Poor Dawn, she's so sad. Well, I think it's time for Dawn and Connor to have a nice talk, with lots of 'soon fluff to be'. Just to make sure, Connor is a little evil here (he's got two demon parents, it's bound to happen!). But he's still, let's, about cute.  
  
Michellex: Well, I'll start with a update. Good enough? I won't have much time to work on to live for the moment, but I'll try and do my best and get this going! :D  
  
Inquisitive1: nice rather long update for you!  
  
Kenra: Don't worry, this will be definitively a Dawn/Connor! Even thought i'll be playing around with Faith/Connor to make Dawn rather jealous.  
  
Darrel doomvomit: (Original name!) Of course, being that there is no b- levels, is a. problem? Well, I suppose I can make those stairs magically disappear from now on! This is Angel/Buffy verse! Let's say a witch made them melt away!  
  
Cassie-bear01: Hey! You put me on your fav author list! May I kiss you? 


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